ST. LOUIS — A St. Louis consumer is suing law firm acting as debt collector, citing alleged unfair and deceptive conduct while attempting to collect an alleged debt.
Martha Tolbert filed a complaint on May 25 in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri Eastern Division against Heavner Beyers and Mihlar LLC, also known as Central Illinois Title Co., and Does 1-4 alleging that the defendants violated the Fair Debt Collections Practices Act (FDCPA).
According to the complaint, the plaintiff alleges that on Feb. 16, the defendant sent her a letter attempting to collect a debt owed to Personal Finance Co. LLC. Concerned with receiving a letter from a law firm, the plaintiff claims she called the defendant and spoke to a representative who asked her to disclose her personal identifying information and employment information, a deceptive attempt to gain information that could be used in its collection efforts.
The plaintiff holds the defendants responsible because they allegedly engaged in a behavior to harass, oppress or abuse the plaintiff in connection with the collection of a debt, threatened to conduct surveillance to gain the plaintiff's employer's identity and had no interest in addressing the plaintiff's concern about identity theft regarding disclosing personal information.
The plaintiff requests a trial by jury and seeks judgment for all available damages, plus costs, attorneys' fees, pre and post-judgment interest and such other relief as the court deems just and proper. She is represented by Nathan D. Sturycz of Nathan D. Sturycz in Edwardsville, Illinois.
U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri Eastern Division case number 4:17-cv-01567